ROMÂNI ȘI STRĂINI. REPREZENTĂRI ALE ALTERITĂȚII ÎN OPERA LUI VASILE ALECSANDRI
ROMANIANS AND FOREIGNERS. REPRESENTATIONS OF ALTERITY IN THE WORK OF VASILE ALECSANDRI

Summary/Abstract: Taking into account the latest trends in interpreting Vasile Alecsandri’s work and the tendency of moving it from the centre to the outskirts of the aesthetic and didactic canon, the present paper aims at re-reading his creation as a cultural representation of identity. Having as a starting point the idea that his activity consists of more than creating descriptive poetry or writing comedies that gave birth to original theatre, I believe that his whole activity (be it literary or political) must be placed under the sign of national identity. This is why the analysis should focus on the identity dimension, approach that might bring back to life an old-fashioned work.One of the aspects closely connected to this identity pattern dominating his work is the image of the Other as it shapes itself in Alecsandri’s poetry, prose, dramaturgy or journalism. When it comes to the relation Romanians-foreigners, Alecsandri favours the former category, thus trying to make them proud of themselves, while foreigners are seen as a threat to our fragile national identity. In this context, the analysis reveals that alterity is sees in dark shades, while identity turns into an ideal representation of basic Romanian values. The so-called Anti-Semitism or alien hatred is, in fact, a defensive reaction, an example for Appadurai Arjun’s theory regarding “fear of small numbers”.

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